EKWB ASUS GTX 780 Ti DCII OC Full Cover Water Block Review

For those who haven't heard yet from Slovenian EK Waterblock company, must have been either computer-less for the last 10 years or maybe just started to get interested in some high end Do It Your Self water cooling gear. Forget about All In One if you are looking for the best cooling performance at a low noise ratio. The only way to achieve this goal is via equipping your favorite computer parts with high end water cooling parts. EKWB has been around for 10 years now and really have diversified their products from the rest through the years. One thing all of these water cooling blocks or complete kits have in common is high performance, solid craftsmanship and all this wrapped in a sleek looking design. The graphics card and processor are usually the most cooled solutions; but EKWB also has chipset, RAM coolers and even cooling gear for CAD/CAM setups in their lineup.

Unboxing

Full cover water blocks are a real treat for your graphics card as they cool down all the vital components on the PCB, being it most importantly the graphics core, but also the memory ICs and the entire voltage circuitry; universal water blocks might be easier to install, however air cooling the VRMs (Voltage Regulator Modules) is still a requirement to ensure stable operation.

The crew from EK was so kind to send us not alone the full cover water block for the ASUS GTX 780 Ti DCII but also the rear back plate. The latter acts besides reinforcement and adding them professional aesthetics, as a passive radiator for the rear VRM section. Take note that the original ASUS back plate cannot be re-used when using this EKWB solution.

As always the packaging is complete, including the pre-cut thermal pads, a small tube of thermal grease and the required Allen key to secure the stop fittings.

The base of the EK-FC780 GTX Ti DCII is made out of nickel plated electrolytic copper. The top is made out of quality POM Acetal material. There are three different versions available to customize your EK water blocks to perfectly blend in with your case mod.

Since there is no flow orientation prescribed one can use the G 1.4" threaded fittings on both sides of the FC terminal.

No surprises to see a perfect finish, these Full cover water blocks are really true marvels of CNC engineering. To provide a hassle free installation screw-in brass standoffs are pre-installed.

As mentioned before there are two other ASUS GTX 780 Ti versions in the EK WB catalogue. On the left we have the nickel plated short version, the version on the right is the nickel original CSQ version. The latter has the same mounting as our tested acetal version with the two rear holes also being used to secure the water block.